2010 Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast

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Vintage Notes

The 2010 vintage was quite cool, and these grapes started coming in the last days of September, with the Charles Ranch finishing on October 22. Thus, our trademark bright acidity and freshness are particularly apparent this year.

Winemaking

Our appellation Chardonnays are given less new oak—twenty to twenty-five percent—and spend less time in barrel—twelve months—than the single-vineyard wines, but otherwise are made identically to them. This includes whole-cluster pressing for delicacy, native-yeast barrel fermentation, aging sur lies with bâtonnage, and full native malolactic fermentation. After spending the following vintage in tank, the 2010’s were bottled without filtration in December 2011.

Winemaker Notes

Our Sonoma Coast bottling reflects its region and so is a bit crisper and leaner than our Russian River. The 2010 Sonoma Coast comes from 61% Martinelli Charles Ranch, 19% Rodgers Creek, 15% Platt, and 5% Ritchie. These vineyards are cool sites, with low vigor soil, which may be planted to a larger-clustered clone—typically, UC Davis clone 4—or they might be a younger planting of a Wente or Dijon selection.